Book Review: The Will & the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Will and the Wilds

Charlie N. Holmberg

YA Fantasy - 2020 (47North)

Paperback - 268 pages

Synopsis:

Enna and her father live at the edge of the wildwood, a place where the wild mystings roam. When danger erupts and she is at risk of being killed, Enna foolishly binds herself to Maekallus with the promise of help. As a result, Maekallus becomes bound to the mortal realm and starts fading from existence. The only thing that will save him is a kiss from Enna, a kiss that will also allow him to take a piece of her soul. Now Enna must discover a way to break the bond that ties them before they both stand to perish.

Thoughts:

I have loved everything I've read by Charlie N. Holmberg. There is something about her writing that just sucks me in. I find it fun and whimsical with creative and wonderful worlds and just the right amount of darkness. The Will and the Wilds was no different.

Enna's character was well written, though perhaps a bit older than I would have imagined her. However, she is appropriately daring and a brilliant combination of mature and naive given her circumstances. Her family's backstory is revealed just enough to give some good footing for the story while still leaving substantial room for mystery and maybe a little bit of reader confusion that keeps things a little up in the air.

The writing is done in dual POV, based on both Enna and Maekallus. At first, this was a little bit awkward, but it worked very well as the story started to gain traction. The majority of the tale is told from Enna's first person point of view, showing the reader her limitations, while the smaller piece of the narrative is a third person view of Maekallus, the mysting to whom Enna has unwittingly bound herself. This second perspective is very limited, but gives just enough information to create increased tension in the narrative, reveal some things that Enna is oblivious to, and serves to make the story just that much more interesting.

I loved this story very much, though I will admit that I would have loved for Enna's grandmother to have been a live. I wanted more of her knowledge of the mystings, as I found these pieces of the world incredibly fascinating. Holmberg's writing is just my style and I have yet to find a book of hers that I haven't loved. This was another weird and wonderful read.